I’m not sure if there was a specific moment where things went sour between Kevin Pritchard and the Portland Trailblazers, but at this point the funk in the air is undeniable.

And Sam Presti doesn’t want any of it stinking up his place with the Thunder or his status as one of the top GMs in the league.

Reports have indicated that Presti was interviewing for Pritchard’s chair with Pritch still in it, but they didn’t quite pass the smell test. Why would Presti hand over the Thunder, who are coming off of an incredibly successful season with the roster he constructed, to anyone at this point? Kevin Durant is a top five player, Russell Westbrook is positively captivating, and the team is only in a position to improve from this point forward. If Presti stays in OKC, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before the Thunder are perennial contenders.

It makes sense that Portland would want Presti, but to assume Presti would leave the Thunder for the Blazers? Iffy at best.

“The story is absolutely false,” Presti said in response Tuesday. “I
have not interviewed with any teams or spoken to officials related to a
team, nor do I intend to. I have a terrific situation here with the
Thunder and enjoy being a member of the Oklahoma City community. I am
excited about the short and long term vision for our organization.”

It’s the second time in four days Presti’s name has been linked to
the Blazers and the second time Presti has had to express how satisfied
he is in his current position. A Yahoo! Sports story over the weekend
reported the Blazers had targeted Presti as a potential replacement to
Pritchard should they part ways with him and even have made several
“fact-finding calls” about Presti.

“Portland has a general manager, and I have a great job in Oklahoma
City,” Presti said Sunday. “I am excited to be a part of what we’re
building here.”

Now, Presti would probably respond the same way even if he had been interviewing for the Portland job, but think about it. Do the math. Reflect. Why would a successful GM bail on a project he built from the ground up?

The NBA, like the NFL, is first and foremost a business seeking profit. When confronted with social issues, from Donald Sterling to “I can’t breathe” shirts, the NBA has always kept an eye on its wallet.

With the threat of anthem protests looming, the NBA proactively met with players to head off any kneeling. That was business strategy, nothing grander.

The NFL is just trying to get to the same point with a similar policy.

But the NFL already alienated its players through the heavy-handed implementation of this policy and years of other issues. The NBA has established greater trust from its players, both by finessing them in talks about societal issues and actually standing behind them, like the Bucks did with Sterling Brown.

There are plenty of opportunities to criticize the NFL relative to the NBA. The leagues’ national-anthem policies are not a good one.

And spare me the idea that leaders trying to divide us from on high is What’s Wrong With Our Country. Centuries of racism have already divided us.

Some leaders, like Donald Trump, exploit those divisions. Other leaders talk fancifully of unity without actually reconciling what caused the divisions.

The 76ers center made just the All-NBA second team, landing behind the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis. Davis surged after Cousins went down, earning overall credit from All-NBA voters, who were also increasingly likely to view him as a center rather than just a forward.

As a result, Davis made the All-NBA first team at center – costing Embiid about $29 million over the next five years.

Embiid’s contract extension, which kicks in next season, calls for his starting salary to be 25% of the salary cap (the typical max for a player with his experience level). If he made the All-NBA first team, his starting salary would have been 30% of the salary cap .

Though the exact cap won’t be determined until July, here’s what Embiid is projected to earn on his standard max and what he could’ve earned on the super max (with 8% raises in both cases):

Obviously Embiid will still earn a lot of money, and he and Philadelphia have a bright future.

But it’s hard not to think, if Cousins didn’t get hurt, Embiid would be even richer.

HOUSTON (AP)– The Houston Rockets will wear patches on their jerseys to honor the victims of the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, on Thursday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

The patches will read: “Santa Fe HS.” It’s one of several tributes the team plans following Friday’s shooting. Eight students and two teachers died at the school, located 30 miles from downtown Houston.

The school’s high school choir will perform the national anthem. There will be a moment of silence and a video tribute before tipoff.

Santa Fe’s senior class and administrators have been invited to attend the game as guests of owner Tilman Fertitta. The Rockets also will honor first responders on the court.